Review: The Cruel Prince, Holly Black

Okay, as you guys already know how our rating system works I’m not gonna waste both our times in explaining it to you. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, stop reading right now and find the How We Review Books post or just click on the link.

Now for the review… Literally sitting here watching the screen and thinking about what to write…5mins later:

Well, the first thing that comes to mind is what I felt about the book while I was reading it…everything. I can’t begin to explain to you the emotions that I went through with the characters and the plot – which always kept you on your toes btw – as I went from one end to the other. This is why I gave it 5/5 because it wasn’t predictable, it’s like a rollercoaster that kept on changing directions to the point where you couldn’t anticipate what was gonna happen next. You just screamed and enjoyed the ride; wherever it was going.

I know my initial expectations were quite low, but honest. I must admit that when I decided to read this book I hadn’t actually read the blurb – well skimmed it – and I feel that played a part because if you follow us on Insta we posted that we were doing a 24hr readathon and I was choosing between this and another book. Consequently, the other story’s plot was fresh in my mind even though I decided to read this one, hence my low expectations because at first, I was like “what am I reading? This has nothing to do with with the blurb!!!” When I read over this blurb, again I realised my mistake, but on the plus side, I didn’t come with any pre misconceptions about the book which made me love it even more!

Going briefly into the characters and plot, to sum up, it I loved it! Honestly, I really did! With the main character Jude, as the story is based on her and her sisters’ journey in the Faerie world, I was compelled to see how she would turn out given everything that happened to her. There’s a lot. I believe her character was written to be a dislikeable one – Ally said so – and it really came through, I didn’t like how she behaved or manipulated people but she never failed to play the victim because it was all apart of her disguise I guess. The plot here ties into her character very well, playing to both her strengths and weaknesses, making her fight for what she believes is right! Then there are the other characters – really cool names – which I can totally see myself befriending! I’m not going to divulge because they come out during the build-up and I don’t want to spoil it for you. It also explores so many issues, like family; sisterhood, love, loss, comradery, surviving, bullying… the list goes on. Not to mention, the prologue just dumps you in the deep end – straight!

To wrap up, think Holly Black did a great job on this one and am now hooked on yet another series which I am now compelled to finish! Thanks x